Description: Ken Masters has returned to the Neo League! But he must now find out -- that there ain't no welcome-back party like a SKULLOMANIA welcome-back party!
'WELCOME BACK KEN!'
--reads the banner hung above the classy and prestigious Geese Tower ballroom. It's a party, and it's packed, with the formalwear set mixing with Southtown's business elite and even a couple fighters that managed to find the time to show up. The party's been underway for about an hour now, but it's only now that the man of said hour appears -- the doors swing open and in walks Ken Masters, wearing his trademark red gi, albeit with a black bowtie because Ken is nothing if not classy.
Pumping his fists into the air at the welcoming cheer, Ken can't help but grin, and he gladhands his way to the small bandstand, where a jazz combo has been playing various standards and university fight songs. Ken takes the mic: "Thank you! Thank you! I just want to say, it's good to feel so welcomed back -- I created the Neo League to give the best and brightest fighters, old and new alike, a place to shine, and I can't help but feel honored that after my time on the shelf you'd all consider me even close to their level! So -- thanks! And extra special thanks to my bro Geese Howard for organizing this whole shindig -- Iiii can't find you in the crowed, Geese-o, but I'll catch you somewhere in here! But seriously, enough of my yackin', dudes, let's party!"
A small but attentive round of applause, and Ken hops off the stage, resuming his gladhanding.
The party resumes with gusto as Ken declares it to have started, a charismatic pep talk like that always sends small currents of electricity rippling through the crowd...
...But then there are a few shocked gasps and shrill cries. after that is a momentary silence as the rest of the heads turn towards the source of the disturbance. And then there is the heavy thump as someone middle-aged and very overweight faints, collapsing like a sack of wet concrete on the dance floor.
A ludicrous and unrealistically voluminous spray of thick and very realistic looking blood sprays out of the congregation on the dance floor, which begins to immediately backpedal, revealing a man in a black body suit. A body suit with white bones stylistically imprinted in a skeletal pattern, his shoulders slump, a headless corpse hangs by his grip on the back of the once classy sports-jacket, and the other hand the missing head by a clump of filthy clotted hair.
Skullomania's head hangs low, a green clown wig haphazardly pulled over the top of his head, which hangs far forewards making it the most prominent feature.
The eyes of the mask narrow viciously as Skullomania brings his head up. "Now Mister Masters. You will tell us your real identity or I'll kill everyone at your party!!!" Skullo rasps in a voice entirely against type.
As he surveys the shocked, stunned silence, there is an audible POP, one of his eye holes narrows scrutinizingly as his head scans across the room, blood still spraying as if from a firehose from the victim's neck while the other eye hole goes wide in surprise as punctuation much like these: [ansi(yf,!?)] appear over the masked man's head.
"Oh... Umm... Haha, they told me you were doing a Bat Man thing. Always pulling pranks." He shakes his head and laughs a loud robust and goodnatured bellowing laugh as he throws the corpse towards the sky and it explodes with bright warm light and transmogrifies into dozens of brightly coloured balloons.
"Ken Masters!" Skullomania says triumphantly. "I may be the lowest ranking fighter in the Neo League. But, allow me to be the first to welcome you back!" Making a recovery through sheer force of will he pulls the wig off his head and flings it directly into the punchbowl as he jabs his fists into his sides, elbows crooked heroically and his chest puffs out to make sure his challenge is taken seriously!!
Ken Masters stares, confused at the display. His mouth opens a little bit, and his black brows quirk, tensing as he tries to figure out what to do. He's about to step forward, tell everyone to 'move, go, get out,' and beat Skullomania's skull all the way down to his tibia when Skullomania reveals that it's an elaborate and needlessly gory party favor. "Oh, I -- wh--." Ken falters for a moment, scratching his head. He looks downward: "You got corn syrup or whatever that is all over the floor, dude."
Ken looks up, his sharp gaze meeting Skullomania's fabric voids -- for such a laid back guy, Ken still has an intense stare. "Oh, wait, I know you -- Skullomania, right? My kid loves you, man. He dressed up as you for Halloween, it was wild. Sure, dude, if you wanna have a go, let's do it!"
Ken grins broadly and walks forward, offering a friendly but firm handshake. "Hey, may the best man win, y'know?" He seems content to let Skullo make the first move, falling back into his combat shuffle.
COMBATSYS: Ken has started a fight here.
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Ken 0/-------/-------|
Skullo "All Man" Mania clutches his hands before his breast, and respectfully bows towards Ken as the owner of the Neo League relaxes into a ready position. Then he flinches as he begins to stride foreward as Ken's comments direct Skullomania's attention to the mess on the floor.
He claps his hands together, suddenly they are in 1950s style yellow rubber gloves, and the corn syrup or blood or whatever it is evaporates into bright orange and pink day-glo vapours that harmlessly dissipate into the crowd.
Skullomania eagerly takes advantage of this distraction to make it look like his intention to pause, waving his hands to push the crowd back and then running towards ken, both fists being pushes together and foreward, chest level for a devestating but painfully obvious thrusting punch.
"SUPER SKULLO PAAAAAAAANCHOOOOOOO"
Skullomania yells.
Then leaps up hands twiling above his face, left leg snapping out, higher than his head as his whole body begins to spin, his corkscrew acrobatics bringing the heel of his super-hero boots whipping past Ken's ankles, waist and face several times before the man wearing the scarf becomes dizzy and has to stop.
COMBATSYS: Skullomania has joined the fight here.
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Ken 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Skullomania
COMBATSYS: Ken endures Skullomania's Dangerous Heel.
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Ken 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Skullomania
Ken can't hide a bemused smile, and his eyebrows raise as he watches Skullomania's theatrics. He lets the spinning kick come -- there are few better ways to test an opponent than to eat a hit from them -- and finds /himself/ spinning when the kick connects with his legs -- then the continuing series of kicks /continues/ spinning him, like a plate trick. Finally, Ken is hurled backward by the final blow, landing through a buffet table, which buckles under his impact.
Ken sits up, hopping to his feet and doing a little shadowbox routine. "Whoo! That was some kick! Mind if I have a turn?" Ken lunges toward Skullomania, drawing in his fists close -- but just as he nears the Skulled Avenger, he spins into a crouch, and spins back out into a one-two kick combo!
COMBATSYS: Ken successfully hits Skullomania with Inazuma Kakato Wari.
- Power hit! -
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Ken 0/-------/------=|=======\-------\0 Skullomania
Skullo "All Man" Mania straightens as Ken goodnaturedly asks permission to make his move. Skullomania, perhaps a bit awed by the reputation of his adversary, relaxes and nods his head agreeably. "Of course!" he brings his hands up defensively, after Ken has allready punched him in the chest.
Skullo's eyes go wide. "Oooh!" He utters as the foot then hurls him across the room.
The Tokusatsu Hero curls into a ball and rolls, but makes solid, thudding impacts two or three times before he rolls back into a seated position producing a thermos. He unscrews the lid which doubles as a bowl and begins to eat a bowl of hot noodles. "Saaay. You're pretty feisty. Good thing I'm ready to carboload."
COMBATSYS: Skullomania gathers his will.
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Ken 0/-------/------=|=======\===----\1 Skullomania
"I dunno, sometimes that can backfire, man," Ken says, falling back into his rhythmic battle stance. "I know this dude who tried to max out his carbs by eating a whole thing of fettucini alfredo. Sat in his stomach like a rock. Dude puked everywhere. It was just painful to watch, man." Ken seems to have distracted himself, and quickly snaps back into the fight.
As Skullomania finishes his noodles, Ken eyes their surroundings, looking for a way to snatch an opening while still being sporting about it. "'Scuse me," he says, pushing past a woman in a stole who 'well-I-/never/'s -- Ken is headed to one of the still-standing tables, where he picks up a deadly weapon indeed.
"Skullomania -- here's lookin' at you, dude!" With a half-step forward, Ken lobs a whipped-cream pie, complete with foil tin, right toward Skullomania's head.
COMBATSYS: Ken successfully hits Skullomania with Thrown Object.
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Ken 0/-------/-------|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Skullomania
Skullo "All Man" Mania is rushing in on Ken as the pie hits him in the face. All the colour seems to bleed out of the scene for a moment, as whip cream, and bits of mask fly out of the back of Skullomanias head.
The caped and masked, technically it's a scarf, but, hero spins in the air, foreward momentum seemingly lost for a moment, limbs limps flailing about, he seems nearly knocked out by the force of Ken's clownin' him.
Finally Skullomania's knees hit the floor, his hands stretch out ahead of him as he collapses, like a corpse, at Ken's feet. But...
The walls start to tremble and the sunlight streaming in the windows turns black as brightly coloured meteors begin to rain across the sky. A dozen ghostly Skullomanias somersault out of the fallen one, performing countless flash wrestling moves, spinning, kicking and dropping Ken on his head, as the Man himself tries to regain his feet and adds his own finishing flair to the assault, gripping Ken by the ankle and attempting to seismic toss him through a window before thrusting his crotch to fire a neon pink laser beam.
COMBATSYS: Ken fails to interrupt Skullo Dream from Skullomania with Shoryuken.
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Ken 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Skullomania
Ken lets out a "wh--" and readies himself as Skullomanias surround him, prepared to take them all on if need be. This, however, is easier said than done, especially as time keeps cutting in and out on Ken -- it's like he loses seconds of his life at a time, a micropayment plan of blackouts so that he lives out jump cuts from kick to spins to being dropped on his head.
Finally, Ken goes out the window -- and, somehow, back in the window right next to it. Ken's not sure how that mid-air U-turn happened, but part of fighting Skullomania, he has already learned, is just rolling with it. As he comes in through the window and sees Skullomania posing, he rolls in a different way, too -- landing in a crouched roll, Ken attempts to pop up into his signature move. "SHOOOOO--"
Fappo! The pink laser beam strikes Ken right out of the air!
Skullo "All Man" Mania seems completely absorbed in the cup of Earl Gray he's now holding, pinky finger extended erectly as he sips at it. His monocle, does not pop out, it remains firmly emplaced in one of the enormous fabricholes that dwarf it.
"Yes yes, anyway the trick to carbo loading is to only eat enough."
He keeps sipping at his tea, but it's a very suspicious and gingerly sippage for as soon as Ken gets up he throws it aside and leaps towards the Real American Hero with a flying punch that would make superman proud!
COMBATSYS: Ken dodges Skullomania's Skullo Punch EX.
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Ken 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Skullomania
"Eeya!" Ken makes a strangely stereotypical 'American guy doing karate in 1987' noise as he rolls under the flying punch, compressing into a tight red ball to tumble past the genteel fighting skeleton. Ken then springs up: "You don't have to tell me that twice, dude. I've got my diet down to a science -- but a flexible one, you know, I'm not stuck eating the same thing every day. I think the boredom would kill me!"
Ken adjusts his stance, sizing up Skullomania again. "You're a wily guy, Skullomania -- I appreciate that in a fighter! But let's see how you fare against my /hurricane kick/!" Ken suddenly leaps into the air, swinging a leg up while keeping the other straight down, and throwing his momentum into a series of spins designed to pummel Skullomania with repeated blows from his heel!
COMBATSYS: Ken successfully hits Skullomania with Tatsumaki Senpuu Kyaku.
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Ken 0/-------/-----==|=======\===----\1 Skullomania
Skullo "All Man" Mania is blasted back through a wall, by the force of the whirlwind he has just reaped. To be precise he is first kicked through a priceless greek bust, and then through a priceless work of art Geese has on the wall, and then he is blasted through the wall.
Little green and blue explosions of light flair up from Skullomania's costume whenever he is hit, and he seems very tired and worse for wear as he relentlessly persists.
Like some kind of boa constrictor the masked one grabs hold of Ken and twists and writhes with him, grappling ferociously as he uses legs, pinkies, thumbs, big toes and anything on his body that isn't X-rated to find purchase, to create an unexpected and painful hold, to end the fight! Meanwhile, outside, through the windows, the universe /continues to end/ it's a pretty spectacular light show.
COMBATSYS: Skullomania successfully hits Ken with Skullo Dream.
-* WILD HIT! *-
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Ken 0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0 Skullomania
Ken stops and stares, wide-eyed and blushing, when his attack on Skullomania results in the destruction of what are no doubt priceless pieces of Geese's collection of art raided from various native peoples of the world. "Aw, jeez," he says, looking down and scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment, before looking around to see if his CFO, Stan, is anywhere in the croud of partygoers. The last thing Ken wants is a lecture from /that/ guy during a fight.
This opening, as well as the distracting peripheral sight of Skullomania's window light show, seals Ken's fate -- as he's armbarred, Boston crabbed, chicken winged, half nelsoned, abdominal stretched, bear hugged, and this-little-piggy-went-to-marketed in the most excruciating grappling experience he's ever encountered. Ken sucks in a sharp breath before powering loose, stopping just shy of submitting. "Wow, man -- your moves are pretty nuts! Who taught you how to fight? I might send my kid to them when he's old enough!"
Having broken free of the submission hold, Ken nonetheless rushes back in, trying to grip Skullomania by the arm and judo-flip him over his shoulders, right onto the half-melted ice swan!
COMBATSYS: Skullomania fails to interrupt Jigoku-guruma from Ken with Super Skullo Slider.
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Ken 0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0 Skullomania
COMBATSYS: Skullomania can no longer fight.
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Ken 0/-------/---====|
Skullo "All Man" Mania is thrown onto the melting Ice Swan, but screws up his courage, and his body before alighting, gracefully like a ballerina upon the head of the noble swan, arms outstretched for balance. "Oh ho HOOOO!" Skullo chortles victoriously as he gloes with bright yellow energies, the swan ripples and melts from the force of his aura, as Skullomania burns a blazing trail through it and the floor between him and Ken, the slide kick really whipping a male camel's ass with a belt.
But Ken is ready for it and strikes Skullo again, ending his bid for glory, the Ice Swan, which now looks exactly like Helen Schafer, is blasted into a million tiny droplets of water as Skullomania blasts into it, head lolling about a few times before he falls over.
Ken puts his hands on his hips, taking in a few deep breaths as Skullomania falls. He's reasonably confident the fight is over -- and when he's proven right, he wipes his hair out of his eyes and grins. Walking forward, Ken grabs a bottle of Howard Springs purified water and reaches down, offering Skullomania a hand-up and a cold drink.
"Good match, dude," the blonde fighter says with a genuine smile. "This is what the Neo League is all about!" If Skullomania gets up, Ken's plan is to hold his arm up for the crowd's applause, in the manner of boxing matches.
Skullo "All Man" Mania does get up, almost immediately, and is more than happy to put his hands up in congratulations for Ken's triumphant return to the Neo League. "And how. Good to have you back boss." Skullo says enthusiastically before skidling off to raid the buffet table.
Log created on 01:33:40 01/14/2009 by Ken, and last modified on 23:58:49 01/16/2009.